Media amnesia and reactions

[Page Mill Masochist]

The BBC News on NPR yesterday opened a story with "the disgraced Lance Armstrong." (Sorry, don't have link.)

That's a first for the BBC, which has been pro-Armstrong up until now.

 

[Sarcastic Wet Trout]

Does anyone believe a guy who never came out about his past before becoming a DS is not doping his riders?

Did Vaughters come out about his past before starting his junior team in Colorado?

 

[Sarcastic Wet Trout]

My Prize for Australian Journalistic Armstrong SLAPDOWN of the Year (with a little dig at Bradley on the way) - Sadly not by a cycling Journalist - but out there never the less.

The Prize for the International Armstrong Slapdown of the Year (and Lifetime Achievement Award) goes to Travis Tygart's Reasoned Decision.

Everyone else is just dog-piling on.

 

[AcademyCC]

Piers Morgan would rip Lance a new one. Like Piers or not he's got skills when it comes to interviewing people. Will never happen though.

This is all just marvelous. It seems like every hour something else major happens.

Don't think Hein/Pat are untouchable in the slightest. The situation is evolving so quickly it is impossible to say where the repercussions will stop.

 

[thehog]

CNN's Piers Morgan is going after the bully!!!!

https://twitter.com/piersmorgan
"He's the biggest cheat in sporting history - and those still lauding him as a 'brave hero' need to ssssshhhh.""

"Every penny Armstrong won, earned in sponsorship, or raised for charity is as tainted as his blood was from the drugs he took to cheat."

"Yes, I would LOVE to interview @lancearmstrong - but he hasn't got the guts. Or have you, Lance? #LiveWrong"

You know that Lance's going down hard when you see the major news network talking like that, with no mercy.

Lovin' it. McDonalds style.

The thing is Armstrong took them all for a ride. A lot of those media guys defended him no end and now they're seeking revenge.

Problem Armstrong has is he can't admit. Even if he wanted to he can't due to pending legal cases upcoming. If he admitted he'd might be able to save some reputation. But bunkering down in Livestrong HQ is not going to help him.

It's amazing how far this has come and reasonably quickly since the dropping of the Federal case.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

It´s true Hog. I remember how we all sat down depressed here. Quiting. It was so bad, my only hope for you all and me was to quote Ghandi.
And now that turnaround within 8 months... Am i dreaming?

 

[Mrs John Murphy]

CNN's Piers Morgan is going after the bully!!!!

https://twitter.com/piersmorgan
"He's the biggest cheat in sporting history - and those still lauding him as a 'brave hero' need to ssssshhhh.""

"Every penny Armstrong won, earned in sponsorship, or raised for charity is as tainted as his blood was from the drugs he took to cheat."

"Yes, I would LOVE to interview @lancearmstrong - but he hasn't got the guts. Or have you, Lance? #LiveWrong"

You know that Lance's going down hard when you see the major news network talking like that, with no mercy.

That would be the same Piers Morgan who was involved in phone hacking and insider trading...

 

[thehog]

That would be the same Piers Morgan who was involved in phone hacking and insider trading...

And posting fake photos in his newspaper...

 

[Benotti69]

Did Vaughters come out about his past before starting his junior team in Colorado?

I am skeptical of Vaughters and what really goes on a Garmin!

 

[Merckx index]

It's amazing how far this has come and reasonably quickly since the dropping of the Federal case.

I’m all out of faith. Even if they had scattered documents and we know they have the testimonies of Floyd and Tyler I don’t think it will be the “clear cut” evidence that the Feds had.

Beside the hearing will get rail roaded by Fabani and the UCI certainly won’t be helping proceedings. I think it will fizzle and end up being an embarrassment.

Thehog, 2/28/12 #2512 US Prosecutors Drop Case thread

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Thehog, 2/28/12 #2512 US Prosecutors Drop Case thread

Yeah that day i mean. The only-hope-is-Gandhi-day. What a fantastic turnaround since then...

 

[ggusta]

As we know, much the media at best turned a blind eye to Armstrong's doping and the rumours about it, or worse became cheer-leaders and bandwagon jumpers.

While we're holding riders, officials and DSs to account the media also needs to be held accountable.

With respect to Armstrong, the evidence and in particular the weight of the firsthand affidavits - which parenthetically were supposed to be less weighty than positive tests but it's turning out to be the opposite because real people are telling real 'corroborate-able' events and stepping into the light when no one even knew some of them were keeping a secret to begin with. And my gosh, when you read the affidavits, you know darn well the truth when you see it...

It is actually too much for the media to digest and give any meaningful reaction to in 4 short days.

You have a guy who it now turns out was actually pimping his own saintly image when the reality which we have all been aware of here is now staring them squarely in the face and they have to process this enormous contradiction and really communicate it in tiny little spoonfuls of macerated baby food to their 'consumers' who do not have cycling on their radar whatsoever but have assigned a certain value to Armstrong which must now be reassigned because it's a hoax. How do they communicate it to them? In a moment of empathy, Don't you think it's a rather enormous task? It's going to take more than 4 days to undo this massive fraud. These are the ones who spread the hoax and assigned him this iconic status for almost 15 years in the 1st place.

We are all fully prepared to accept frauds like Bernie Madoff and crooked politicians, pedophile priests at the drop of a hat. But this? Again, we have compared this to OJ Simpson and Penn State/Jerry Sandusky and my conclusion is that the one thing they all have in common is nothing else compares to any of them or each other. That's how monumental this is. No one knows how to process stuff like this because it's the 1st and it can't be ignored either.

This is so much bigger than cycling. It's going to take years for him to achieve his rightful place in scoundreldom.

Personally I am looking forward to how long and agonizing his fall will be for him. He has gone out of his way to earn every bit of that pain. And his mind numbed fool robots can feel it, too.

[Sorry...just went back in and did some desperately needed re-editing.]

 

[purcell]

That would be the same Piers Morgan who was involved in phone hacking and insider trading...

Glad someone else remembered that ...

 

[Mrs John Murphy]

I found some interesting parallels. I was watching a debate about Jimmy Saville. (For those unaware, Jimmy Saville was in the 1970s and 1980's a hugely popular TV figure who promoted charities, volunteered in hospitals and generally had the image of a lovable 'english eccentric' (he still lived with his mother who he called 'the duchess')). He died in 2010 at 84.

Anyway, it's turned out that he had a thing for teenage girls and used his position in charities and his working in hospitals, prisons, mental hospitals etc to abuse teenagers and other women.

For the record the police are investigating 340 different allegations against him.

Now, what was fascinating about this debate was that everyone (a journalist, a commentator and an editor) all said 'oh yes I knew about the rumours, and I heard about them', but not one of them did anything about it.

It is ironic but the journalist was from the News of the World, and while they were willing to hack into the phones of murdered children, they were apparently unwilling to run or investigate stories of child abuse by a major personality.

Just like Armstrong, everyone knew what was going on, but no one did anything. We hear the same excuses again and again from the media.

Basically, if someone didn't know then frankly they should not be allowed out of the house for being so stupid or willfully ignorant. If they knew and didn't act then they need to acknowledge their own lack of integrity before criticising others.

Benson etc says 'oh it is too tough to take a stand because we will get blacklisted' and yet he never seems to think about trying to prevent a united front - did he talk to Velonews, the guys from the BBC, Eurosport and say 'you know we all know Armstrong is dirty. Can we not present a united front on this matter and on doping and collectively stand up to him, although we are commercial rivals, this is too important an issue for coverage to be driven by the desire for hits and page views'.

 

[Benotti69]

I found some interesting parallels. I was watching a debate about Jimmy Saville. (For those unaware, Jimmy Saville was in the 1970s and 1980's a hugely popular TV figure who promoted charities, volunteered in hospitals and generally had the image of a lovable 'english eccentric' (he still lived with his mother who he called 'the duchess')). He died in 2010 at 84.

Anyway, it's turned out that he had a thing for teenage girls and used his position in charities and his working in hospitals, prisons, mental hospitals etc to abuse teenagers and other women.

For the record the police are investigating 340 different allegations against him.

Now, what was fascinating about this debate was that everyone (a journalist, a commentator and an editor) all said 'oh yes I knew about the rumours, and I heard about them', but not one of them did anything about it.

It is ironic but the journalist was from the News of the World, and while they were willing to hack into the phones of murdered children, they were apparently unwilling to run or investigate stories of child abuse by a major personality.

Just like Armstrong, everyone knew what was going on, but no one did anything. We hear the same excuses again and again from the media.

Basically, if someone didn't know then frankly they should not be allowed out of the house for being so stupid or willfully ignorant. If they knew and didn't act then they need to acknowledge their own lack of integrity before criticising others.

Benson etc says 'oh it is too tough to take a stand because we will get blacklisted' and yet he never seems to think about trying to prevent a united front - did he talk to Velonews, the guys from the BBC, Eurosport and say 'you know we all know Armstrong is dirty. Can we not present a united front on this matter and on doping and collectively stand up to him, although we are commercial rivals, this is too important an issue for coverage to be driven by the desire for hits and page views'.

This sadly does not happen because they are apparently in competition with each other yet spewed the exact same pr crap from the teams time and time again when a rumour or allegation was raised.

It was new social media that was the catalist for the downfall of Armstrong, Floyd posting the emails on the internet was the straw that broke the camels back or the spark that ignited the fire that couldn't be put out.

Dont expect the media to start asking hard qustions from here in the shame to alleviate some of that guilt.

Watch how Sky, Saxo, Movistar et al continue on their merry way.

 

[pastronef]

hey James, still no reaction from you?

http://mobile.twitter.com/angryasian

 

[Mrs John Murphy]

Love the front page of The Observer sports section in the UK tomorrow.

Where was the Observer in 1999, or in 2005 or even in 2009 and 2010? Answer, busy helping to put the boot into Landis etc and maintain omerta.

 

[AcademyCC]

This sadly does not happen because they are apparently in competition with each other yet spewed the exact same pr crap from the teams time and time again when a rumour or allegation was raised.

It was new social media that was the catalist for the downfall of Armstrong, Floyd posting the emails on the internet was the straw that broke the camels back or the spark that ignited the fire that couldn't be put out.

Dont expect the media to start asking hard qustions from here in the shame to alleviate some of that guilt.

Watch how Sky, Saxo, Movistar et al continue on their merry way.

The bold is an interesting point. You think these guys will just keep on trucking? No qualms?

 

[Mrs John Murphy]

The bold is an interesting point. You think these guys will just keep on trucking? No qualms?

Yes. They know no other way.

They will say 'this is just another Festina, Puerto' they'll be some heat, noise and light but come next year normal service will be resumed.

 

[AcademyCC]

Yes. They know no other way.

They will say 'this is just another Festina, Puerto' they'll be some heat, noise and light but come next year normal service will be resumed.

In your opinion can this be stopped or is it just fact of life? What has to happen for this to be stopped? is it likely? Lots of questions but relevant I think

 

[Mrs John Murphy]

In your opinion can this be stopped or is it just fact of life? What has to happen for this to be stopped? is it likely? Lots of questions but relevant I think

Cheating will always happen. However, getting rid of the old guard has to be a priority. How can the sport move on if holdovers from the Festina era are still in positions of power and influence.

 

[thehog]

Love the front page of The Observer sports section in the UK tomorrow.

Wow that's powerful! And it's gotta sting.

Can't see how he'll come back from that.

 

[Benotti69]

The bold is an interesting point. You think these guys will just keep on trucking? No qualms?

Did not watch La Vuelta? Saxo, Movistar, Katusha and Sky. top 4.

These all knew what was coming this month from USADA. They knew it was big for Armstrong not to try and defend himself, they knew USPS teammates talked, they knew the levels of doping going on, they all do it to varying degrees so what is their reaction? Juice it up on La Vuelta!

Nothing changes till it becomes a serious crime. There are not enough people in the sport willing to work any other way. Those in the sport believe doping is integral to the sport and to not dope is stupid.

The biggest testamony to this is Brailsfords fake shock and surprise. Lots of this stuff has been known for years! His lies are so obvious!

 

[Benotti69]

Wow that's powerful! And it's gotta sting.

Can't see how he'll come back from that.

Make a great T-shirt

 

[sairyder]

This sadly does not happen because they are apparently in competition with each other yet spewed the exact same pr crap from the teams time and time again when a rumour or allegation was raised.

It was new social media that was the catalist for the downfall of Armstrong, Floyd posting the emails on the internet was the straw that broke the camels back or the spark that ignited the fire that couldn't be put out.

Dont expect the media to start asking hard qustions from here in the shame to alleviate some of that guilt.

Watch how Sky, Saxo, Movistar et al continue on their merry way.

I am a little more confidant about that now the Matt White story has broken in Australia - its the leading story on all the news bulletins today.

As I said somewhere else Matt White was a big cahuna in the Australian cycling scene - a protected species - if push came to shove with him ALREADY, the people in Australian cycling at every level who have been unhappily swallowing the Omertà crap will now get going and feel empowered.

There are good people in Australian Cycling that will stand up now. Anyway - lets see - I feel positive. The White stand down was a dam buster here.

I think the point you have to remember is that Rogers et al also have to answer questions from their national bodies. This is no longer just about the teams and crooked DS's and management keeping it all to themselves..